Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of the Trinity.

Part 9.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We left off our discussion of the Trinity last time by saying that the doctrine of the Trinity

that there are three persons who are one being is a logically coherent doctrine when properly

understood.

But that still leaves us with the question, how can three distinct persons be one being?

How can you have three divine persons who are together one being?

Well, maybe we can get a start at this question by means of an analogy.

Now I want to caution that there is no reason to think that there has to be an analogy

to the doctrine of the Trinity among created things.

But I think that analogies can be helpful as a springboard, so to speak, for philosophical

reflection and for accurate formulation.

So, consider this analogy.

In Greco-Roman mythology, one of the labors of Hercules was to subdue the ferocious three-headed dog named

Kerberus who guarded the gates of Hades.

Now we can suppose that Kerberus having three, must have had three brains.

And therefore, three distinct states of consciousness.

And each one would be whatever it's like to be a dog.

Therefore, curberus, although he is a sentient being, doesn't have a unified consciousness.

Rather, he has three consciousnesses.

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